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No shortage of volunteering opportunities this winter

If you're looking to spread some holiday cheer — this season and beyond — several groups in Toronto are more than willing to open their doors for you.

Volunteer Henry Alstrom ladles soup to a member of the Wychwood Open Door drop-in centre. If you have an hour, a day or a year, there are lots of ways to start helping this holiday season. (Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star) | Order this photo

Between the last-minute Christmas shopping blitz and the frantic last few days at work before the holidays, it can be tricky to find time to volunteer. But there are many organizations that could use an extra hand this winter. Whether you can sing like an angel or tie a pretty bow, there are plenty of ways to help out — even if you only have a couple of hours to spare.

The Yonge Street Mission hosts a winter toy market for families who would otherwise might not be able to give any Christmas gifts to their kids. They look for volunteers to sort toys, wrap presents and greet people.

The Yonge Street Mission hosts a winter toy market for families who would otherwise might not be able to give any Christmas gifts to their kids. They look for volunteers to sort toys, wrap presents and greet people.

They also need helpers for their food market, an expanded version of their food bank.

Ruth Pentinga, their director of volunteer resources, says helpers are needed to prep and serve food, clean and “party with people and have a good time” during holiday banquets.

Attention singers and dancers: The Riverdale Housing Action Group, a charity that provides affordable housing to single mothers, is looking for volunteers to provide entertainment at their Christmas party on Dec. 17.

Riverdale Housing Action Group

If you have 3 hours . . .

When: Dec. 17

Where: 1327 Queen St. E., west Greenwood Ave.

Can you carry a tune? The Riverdale Housing Action Group is looking for volunteer singers and dancers to entertain tenants and their families and friends at their holiday bash on Dec. 17 at the Baron Byng Legion Hall.

The group owns and operates 44 affordable housing units for women leaving the shelter system, generally single mothers.

If you can’t sing, you can still help out in the kitchen for three to six hours.

The Daily Bread Food Bank, the largest provider of food relief in the city, is seeking hundreds of volunteers to help sort food and check their quality.

Prospective volunteers have to act fast. Their online sign-up sheet for last year’s events filled up in seven minutes.

“It’s a way to give back, but it’s also a way to learn more about why hunger is such a big issue in a city like Toronto,” said senior manager of communications Sarah Anderson Austin.

The Wychwood Open Door is always looking for volunteers to devote as much time as they can spare cutting veggies in the kitchen or ladling soups between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Not your cup of tea? You can also help out with desk work. (Bernard Weil)

Online registration for this year’s public food sorts opens Dec. 15.

Wychwood Open Door

If you have 5.5 hours . . .

When: Flexible

Where: 729 St. Clair Ave. W. in the basement

The Wychwood Open Door dishes out 13,000 meals a year to homeless and socially isolated people.

The winter holidays are the busiest time of year, says their co-ordinator, Brittany Waters.

The centre is always looking for volunteers to devote as much time as they can spare cutting veggies in the kitchen or ladling soups between 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Not your cup of tea? You can also help out with desk work.

“It’s really cool to come in and see who you’re actually helping, see a smile get a thank you,” Waters said.

If wrestling golden retrievers is your thing, then volunteering for the Toronto Humane Society might be for you. Most volunteers are in charge of dog walking or “cat enrichments” — playing and petting the cats to socialize them.

Toronto Humane Society

If you have 48 hours over six months . . .

When: Two hours per week for at least six months

Where: 11 River St.

If wrestling golden retrievers is your thing, then volunteering for the Toronto Humane Society might be for you.

Most volunteers are in charge of dog walking or “cat enrichments” — playing and petting the cats to socialize them.

Not surprisingly, there is a long list of animal lovers waiting to volunteer.

If wrestling golden retrievers is your thing, then volunteering for the Toronto Humane Society might be for you. Most volunteers are in charge of dog walking or “cat enrichments” — playing and petting the cats to socialize them.

Toronto Public Library

If you have 52 hours over a year . . .

When: A one-hour tutoring session per week for a year

Where: At 39 branches across the city

There are many ways to lend a hand at the library. Maybe because of the big time commitment, it often has trouble recruiting tutors.

They are paired with a student from Grades 1 to 6 and charged with helping them improve their reading skills.

“If you can improve a child’s reading than you’re able to help them for the rest of their life,” said Stella Dahlin, special projects manager at the Toronto Public Library. “You’re setting them on the right course in so many ways.”

The Native Women's Resource Centre is looking for 10 to 15 volunteers to help in the kitchen and with cleanup the day of their winter solstice feast on Dec. 16.

Native Women’s Resource Centre

If you have 6 hours . . .

When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 16

Where: 191 Gerrard St. E.

Preparing meals for 300 families is no mean feat.

The centre is looking for 10 to 15 volunteers to help in the kitchen and with cleanup the day of their winter solstice feast on Dec. 16. Usually they serve a turkey dinner with traditional fare such as bannock, Three Sisters stew (corn, beans and squash) and berry juice.

It’s an opportunity to help some of Toronto’s most vulnerable people, said the centre’s executive director Sarah Midanik. “And it’s a beautiful cultural experience because you get to be a part of our ceremonies,” she added.

The centre prefers female volunteers because some of its clients were victims of domestic abuse. To sign up, email volunteer@nwrct.ca .

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